High Schools | DAILY REPORT

Oak Park Player Is Reinstated

Lyndsey Medders has been reinstated by Southern Section Commissioner Jim Staunton and will be allowed to continue to play girls' basketball for Oak Park High.

Medders missed five games after she was ruled ineligible because the section office did not recognize a bona fide change of address from the family's previous residence, a home in Westlake Village, to their current one, a leased home in Oak Park.

Oak Park Principal Cliff Moore visited the Westlake Village property that is being sold and notified Staunton on Thursday that it could not accommodate the Medders family if it chose to maintain a dual residence. The house is presently occupied only by Medders' 18-year-old brother, who attends Westlake High.

That was enough for Staunton, who reviewed the report on Friday.

"We have to determine whether they can 'continue to enjoy the use of that location,' " Staunton said, citing the section's rules regarding changes of residence. "If you leave clothing, beds and toiletries, you can argue they can use that location. But if the belongings are all gone, you can say you made a bona fide change of address."

Medders played at North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake last season and, under section rules, had to change her residence when she transferred to be eligible this season.

-- Martin Henderson

The City Section rules committee has found no evidence of undue influence by Carson boys' basketball Coach Richard Masson, as alleged by Westchester High.

Westchester said that Masson broke City rules by trying to prevent former Carson forward Ray Reese from transferring to Westchester. Reese was declared ineligible this season.